Wyoming Companion

The wild west of mattress buying

I thought I would go off on a little tangent and put together my thoughts of how I think the west was won. There’s no one true reason why it happened, but one thing is for sure, we do know that it happened. That’s a fact, not an opinion. Here are my thoughts. I think …

When we spend a few extra spoons on a quality horse, we know what we’re supposed to be getting – a dependable steed that will serve his duty for years to come. Some other areas of spending extra scuds aren’t so trustworthy though and it’s easy to see why a person would get skin flint. …

The west has a very interesting climate. Depending on where in the west we are talking about, it could be very hot. It could also be pretty cold. The humidity also really varies a lot. So what is the best bedding that you should get if you live in the west? Well, it depends on …

We are creatures of comfort. As far as humanity has existed, we have sought to be more comfortable than we currently are. This trait presents itself in a variety of ways, but one of them certainly has related to how we sleep, and how we choose to spend our nights. We can really see our …

A fire new mattress is one of the best purchases a Wyoming citizen can make. Actually, it’s one of the most procrastinated investments many of us make as we determine our old beds have ‘another year or 5′ in them. When you do finally buck up and bed down with a new mattress, make sure …

When we spend a few extra spoons on a quality horse, we know what we’re supposed to be getting – a dependable steed that will serve his duty for years to come. Some other areas of spending extra scuds aren’t so trustworthy though and it’s easy to see why a person would get skin flint. One such shopping item that seems to vary greatly in price is a mattress so what do you really get for ponying up that extra tin? We at Wyoming Companion believe this through and through.

More Coils

The coil support is the lifeblood of your mattress and obviously the more there are the longer the bed will last. Coils that rotate opposite of each other also help for a sounder sleep that won’t bother the person or Golden Retriever sleeping next to you.

Side Support

It’s comfortable sitting on the edge of the bed in the morn to put your boots on but that is really damaging to a mattress, breaking down the sides and leaving you likely to roll right off on to the floor in the middle of the night. Edge supports are a spring loaded doo-hickey that supports the weight of your body so the mattress frame doesn’t have to.

Longer Warranty / Comfort Guarantee

One of the hard parts of buying a mattress is that the stores don’t let you sleep over for a couple weeks to see if you truly love the feel of the bed. Spending a little more on a mattress up front gives you customer service that includes a comfort guarantee where they can open up the bed and make it firmer or softer depending on your tastes.

While it might seem futile to part with extra banknote on a mattress, it’s a wise investment that you literally use daily.

The mattress industry can often represent the Wild West with scoundrels and rapscallions seemingly populating the market. It’s easy to see how folks are a little hesitant about forking over their hard earned shills to what is seemingly nothing more than an old fashion con artist. It’s true, there are some shysters out there but the mattress industry is also full of some hard working and honest people like us. Here’s the rundown.

The Good

Believe it or not there are folks in the mattress industry that simply want the best for their fellow Wyoming citizen. For instance if we can provide high quality foam and cotton mattresses that gives you the sleep you need to get chores done without being tech savvy as a teased snake while we make a liveable coin than we’ve done our job.

The Bad

Unfortunately there are fly by night swindlers that feed you whatever you want to hear just to sell you a bed. They may lie about the materials used in the bed, fib about the spring count, and charge you well above market value for a bedroll that’s simply not worth the price. These scoundrels exist only to make a quick buck and don’t have your best interest in mind at all – just delivering Tinker’s news.

The Ugly

Perhaps the only thing worse than paying large amounts of money for a mattress that isn’t worth a hill of beans is purchasing one that’s already been used. All too many manufacturers take part in this trickery selling used beds as new or recycling materials from the inside of old hen skins. You wouldn’t wear another man’s boots and you surely don’t want to lay your head where his hat was once.

There’s a lot of good bed professionals out there, so make sure you get a good one.

We’ve gotten a lot of feedback about how we knock the bedding, mattress, and furniture in Wyoming, but don’t ever offer any praise to companies that are doing well. We apologize for that, it was certainly not our intention to leave out some of the best picks in the Wyoming mattress industry. Thus, we’ve compiled a list of retailers and manufacturers that are doing a great job refining their craft. If you’re out there looking for someone you can trust with your sleep, start with these guys.

Furniture Row is a chain, but has a number of stores in Wyoming. We’ve met with owners, and this team is truly committed to quality and transparency. We think that they share the values of WyomingCompanion.com, and are pleased to be associated with them.

Conlins are old friends of ours, and they make a mean mattress. I dare say Conlins offers the best support and comfort tradeoff in a mattress in all of Wyoming, and possibly in all of the United States. They have been refining this family business for years, with a true commitment to craft and innovation.

We don’t know Slumberland owners personally, but we have only heard incredible reviews about the beds and bedding that they provide. They also have some of the best return policies in the state, which means they have nothing to hide. These guys even have some imported sheets that are my guilty pleasure.

And last but certainly not least, Jackson Mattress Shop. This is a fantastic little store that brings in some of the best mattresses around. They have the best selection of coil, latex foam, and memory foam mattresses we’ve seen in all of the Western states. They also keep overhead low, and so are able to offer some pretty unreal prices.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but rather a starting point. We didn’t mean to criticize the entire market, but rather were hoping that our gentle prodding would encourage the retailers and manufacturers to up their game generally. For now, we offer our thanks to these companies that have always focused on best serving the fine state of Wyoming with their great mattress deals.

Too many of us hard working Wyoming folks put ourselves through the rigamarole every night of sleeping on an old, lopsided, crusty bedroll. It’s easy to understand why with big market mattress chains charging hundreds of dollars for their so-called premium beds. The truth is, we believe a good night’s sleep should have to cost you the same as a prized quarter horse and here’s why:

No Middle Man
By the time the manufacturer, big box store, salespeople, and advertisers get their profit from your bed you’re going to rack up a bill that could purchase a small herd! The question is, why do so many people have to get their grubby hands on your hard earned money? By eliminating the unnecessary middle man you can earn serious bed savings.

Materials Are Largely the Same
Have you ever heard a mattress company say, “we use cotton freshly sheared from bi-lingual sheep that are on strictly organic diets” or something of the like? While there are slight variations in the materials used by different companies they aren’t enough to warrant $400-$500 price differences. For the most part cotton is cotton, foam is foam, and so on.

Customer Service Should Be Free
You don’t need to pay extra money just to be treated with the class and dignity that all Wyoming citizens deserve. You’re doing a company a service by just looking at their products and they should treat you accordingly. You’ve likely done business with a company of any service that made you madder than an old wet hen and we find that simply unacceptable.

At the end of the day, a comfy mattress should be something afforded to all us hard working Wyoming citizens and we shouldn’t have to pay a fist full of dollars for that luxury.

Out here in Wyoming we get more done by 10 A.M than those right-coasters do darn near all day. We pride ourselves on a exhausting work ethic and getting the most out of our bodies from sun up to sun down. Granted, sometimes we get full as a tick the night before and up sleeping in until 7 but for the most part we have to make sure to tip-toe as to not wake up the roosters. There are a heap of benefits to being an early riser, and here’s some lessons you can take to be cracking eggs before the crack of dawn.

Use Natural Light to Your Advantage

It’s pretty easy to sleep in when you’ve converted your room to a virtual cave. Dark sashes on the windows pulled tight makes it so you might not have an idea on whether it’s high noon or quarter ’til midnight outside. One way to get on the trail to waking up early is to use the natural light of the morning to your advantage. This can be accomplished by hanging either lighter curtains or just leaving them open when you turn in for the night but either way you won’t be able to hit snooze on the bright Wyoming sun.

Work Towards a Certain Time

Just as if you were addicted to sunflower seeds, it’s hard to gold cold turkey when giving them up. The same premise exists no matter what you’re working for in life – it takes actual work. It’s dang near impossible to go from rolling out of your bedroll at 11 A.M to trying to wake up at 5:30 and if you do you’ll look like the walking dead all morning. For the best success, work your way to an earlier wake up time so your body can adjust.

Try an App

Now personally I think today’s kids are spending way to much time on their phones, laptops, and tablet do-hickeys but it turns out those little apps can really be helpful in getting you out of bed in the A.M. There are programs to download that make you stand up before the alarm shuts off or that wake you up at the perfect time because your phone senses your optimum sleep cycle ending. Personally my dog Rusty who needs to go outside at 4:00 in the morning to go to the bathroom is the only app I need.

Have a De-Stressing Morning Activity Plan

Hunters leave the roost at about 3 in the morning because they want to get out into a good spot by daybreak. The reason their bodies let them wake up that early is because they want to not because they have to. Similarly if your first activity out of bed is to clean the house or do paperwork your brain will shut down but if it’s watching the morning news, having a cup of coffee, and reading the paper it’s easier to hop out of bed. Plan a stress free activity first thing in the morning that’s something to look forward to.

Go To Bed Earlier

It’s pretty much a no-brainer but the more sleep and rest you have the easier it will be to wake up early and you’ll function a lot better. It might be hard to go to bed too early but it’s possible if you use up more energy during the day (physical work, exercise) and clear your head at night (meditation, relaxation). Your body needs a set amount of sleep and for many of us that’s easier to compromise by going to bed earlier rather than sleeping in later in the morning.

Find the Right Alarm For Your Brain

Along the same lines of those phone apps that let force you to get on with your day are a varied amounts of alarm clocks and ringers. Depending on your body you might react better to a blaring noise that sounds like an air raid siren or a soft melodic tune that slowly shakes the cobwebs off your system. Be aware that experts say a slow, gradual greeting to the morning is often more productive (and safer) than the thundering sound of 19 bison coming through your wall but everybody reacts a little different.

Realize That the Snooze Button Is a Waste

Just like you can’t keep milking a cow after it’s empty to get more dairy product, sleeping past a certain length of time doesn’t have any additional productivity values and can actually hinder your mood. After your body has gone through it’s ideal REM sleep period you might as well just wake up. Sure you might naturally fell groggy and you still might be a little cranky but your body is going to be just as healthy either way so you might as well get on with your day.

Maintain the Schedule Through the Weekend

I’ve known plenty of people in my life that I call “5-Dayers” which means they completely shut it down on the weekend. It’s not uncommon running into them on a Monday morning and while explaining your active weekend they just respond, “I slept all weekend.” They’re not lying either as when 5-dayers head out on Friday night and say “see you Monday” they really mean they aren’t going to get out of bed for the next 50-60 hours. If you want to maintain the positive gains you’ve got in waking up early, avoid the temptation to sleep in until noon on the weekends or days off.

Understand the Benefits of Being an Early Riser

The benefits of waking up early are much more than an old wives tale. Studies show that people that associate themselves as ‘morning people’ are better planners, get better grades, are more proactive, and are more optimistic among other traits. That seems pretty easy to see why as those who get up early have resisted the urge of their body telling them to sleep and instead are doing something about it. Early morning on the ranch is definitely more peaceful and constructive and getting out of your bedroll at a decent hour simply gives you more daylight to be productive.

Granted there are some writers who would famously drink a bottle of scotch then start their workday at 7 PM to be more productive but most of us would be fear and loathing of a schedule like that. The majority benefits from an earlier wake-up so give it a shot.

A fire new mattress is one of the best purchases a Wyoming citizen can make. Actually, it’s one of the most procrastinated investments many of us make as we determine our old beds have ‘another year or 5′ in them. When you do finally buck up and bed down with a new mattress, make sure you follow these steps to keep it as comfortable as possible for as long as you own it.

Regular Flipping / Rotating
Imprints from our sleep are the quickest way to wear down a mattress faster than it should – especially if a 300 pound cowboy shares the bed with a 118 pound little lady. The best way to allow the bed to wear in a uniform manner is by flipping it about every three months. Even one-sided mattresses should at least be rotate on roughly the same schedule.

Have a Solid Frame
It may be tempting to save some of your loot on a new bed set by purchasing just the mattress and not the box spring. The truth is box springs wear just as the mattresses do and keeping that sagging, old spring in place will cause the bed to conform that much faster.

Use a Pad
You wouldn’t ride a horse without a saddle and you shouldn’t fall asleep on your bed without first installing a mattress pad. The pad will absorb any accidents from the night and will prevent the growth of mold and mildew. Mold stains the mattress and it causes adverse health effects like eye irritation and sinus pain which prevents a quality sleep.

You want the ol’ flea trap to be as comfortable and relaxing as long as possible so make sure to take a few minutes of the day to preserve your investment.

In Western terms a barn sour is a horse that won’t leave the stable or becomes stubborn on a ride. Unfortunately in life some people take on this trait as well, refusing to leave the comfort of their home or even spending most of their day in bed. While we all deserve our rest, life on the plains can pass us by if we don’t get up and move so here are some tips for turning the sour in your ranch into a sweet.

Plan Fun Activities
When we try to get our bucky horses out of the stables we have to relate positive experiences away from their comfort zone. People who have social anxieties work in much of the same way. Even though Wyoming folk are friendly, welcoming, and talkative in some people’s minds they feel vulnerable in a public setting. Associate your spouse, children, friend with enjoyment and fun so they realize what they’re missing by being a homebody.

Give Them a Purpose
Some people are like horses, they need a little prodding to get going in the morning. While laying in bed can be comfortable give the individuals some chores they need to accomplish in the morning or make them flat up get a job. Cowboys know striking the morn’ early is the best way to get things done.

Don’t Buck Back
It may be tempting for you to crack the whip on your stubborn family member or friend but not everybody reacts to discipline. Some people you need to coddle along like a colt until they learn to gallop on their own.

Just remember that staying in bed all day is usually not a physical fault, it’s a mental one. Some people might need to see the Doc to get back on their feet but they need your support.

As us ranchers know, not everything is equal. Whether it’s a steadfast steer or a plate of grits some things are definitely better than others. One area that sentiment definitely extends to is the place where we lay our heads each night – on our mattresses. Now Wyoming is definitely the equality state, but beware what you’re getting in to with different bed manufacturers.

Materials
Much like a cowboy is only as good as the horse he rides on, the comfort of your mattress is only as good as the materials inside of it. One thing that sets apart quality and trustworthy mattress companies like us from our competitors is quality of materials. A fly by night bed company will give you a lot of ballyhoo about their spring count, type of material, and life expectancy of their bed but we actually stand by it.

Service
We like to treat every customer like the biggest toad in the puddle because that’s what you are. There’s a sense of brethren with our Wyoming brothers and sisters and we want to give you the best deal for your budget, not just boost our bottom line. We’ll make sure your back is not only comfortable, but your money belt as well.

Knowledge
When you’re looking for a new mattress you want to deal with somebody who has their cow sense. Not everybody can benefit from the softest bed on the market and likewise not every back is suited for a firm bedding. We know how hard you work on a daily basis and want to give you the best mattress that actually allows you some rest at sun down.

Just remember, you’re buying much more than a bed when you shop for a mattress – you’re getting a partner in the industry.

We here in Wyoming are big fans of the open countryside. We spend our time in the fields working, playing, and riding our horses. We have cattle that we let roam free that we tend to with great pride. And as a result, we are men of great brawn. I’m nearly seven feet tall, and I feel like I’m average here in Wyoming, with many of my companions of a similar size.

We are proud of our strength, our size, and our courage. People around the US revere Wyoming for its prize genetics and commitment to keeping the land. However after a hard day’s work, we need to realize that our home needs to be able to take a beating like we just received in the land. We are fought and tough people, and it’s hard to turn it off, even when walking into a home.

This applies to doorways, floors, kitchen appliances, and especially to bed frames. When you lay yourself down on that bed frame after a hard day’s work, it needs to support you. It needs to understand the toil that has been put on your body, and support you.

A study bed frame should be low to the ground, and be made of wood or steel. Make sure that the material is thick and supportive, so that it will not bed when you jump onto it.

We know that these bed frames can be expensive, especially if you invest in a quality one. But this is extremely important. Imagine a bed frame breaking out from under you as you sleep – there is nothing more terrifying than that.

So find a quality bed frame manufacturer, and spend those hard earned dollars where they can make a difference in your life. Outfit that whole bedroom with some quality furniture if you can afford it. It’s an investment that will pay itself many times over.

If you visit fancy tempurpedic stores, they’re going to tell you the amazing benefits of this mattress. How it will heal your back pain, stop your snoring, make you feel rested, and lead to a much better life filled with rest and relaxation. And tempurpedic is not the only one trying to trick our Wyoming brethren. There are endless foam companies coming into Wyoming, even Cody. They bring with them amazing foams developed by NASA, sometimes they’re made of latex, sometimes memory foam. All of them are good for the environment, of course, even though they’re filled with chemicals. And naturally every one of them is sustainable, tea infused, and the like.

Friends I’ve aid it before, and I’ll say it again; keep those foam mattresses out of Wyoming. We don’t need them, we don’t want them, and they’re no good for us. I hate foam mattresses because:

Foam mattresses sleep hot

Latex and memory foam are practically the same thing, but they try to dress them up like they’re different. I won’t stand for that trickery.